Zibago
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2012
- Messages
- 37,006
- Reaction score
- 12
- Country
- Location
Delhi bars Sartaj from holding news conference
December 05, 2016
SHARE :
Agencies
AMRITSAR - The Indian government on Sunday did not allow Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to hold a scheduled press conference on the sidelines of Heart of Asia Conference, citing “security reasons”.
In sheer violation of diplomatic norms, the adviser was stopped to leave the hotel, neither media persons were allowed to enter the premises to meet him.
Also, the Indian authorities stopped Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit to enter the Media Centre set up at the Conference venue.
Pakistani officials said Sartaj Aziz was also not allowed to visit the Golden Temple and speak to Pakistani mediapersons at the hotel where he was staying.
Indian media quoting sources in the Pakistani High Commission said Aziz had planned to visit the Golden Temple but was not allowed citing security concerns. Aziz wanted to interact with Pakistani mediapersons who accompanied him at the Radisson Blue hotel, the venue of the Heart of Asia conference, but was not given permission by security personnel, the sources said.
Indian government sources said the permission was not given considering his security. “Security was very tight. Permission was not given due to security reasons. Security of our guests is paramount. India ensured no untoward incident took place,” they said.
There was a tiff between Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit and security personnel at the hotel after they denied Pakistani journalists entry to the venue. After security personnel denied permission for Aziz’s interaction with the Pakistani media at the conference venue, the Pakistani High Commission planned the interaction at another hotel but that too was not allowed, the Pakistani High Commission sources said. Later, Basit spoke to the Pakistani media. Aziz left for Pakistan by a special aircraft around 8 PM.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had visited the Golden Temple Saturday, while Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited it Sunday.
Apparently, the parents of Hamid Ansari, who is at present lodged in a jail in Pakistan, were waiting for a meeting with Aziz at the Golden Temple.
Mumbai-based Fauzia Ansari and her husband Nihal had come here, hoping to request Aziz to release their son from prison, who has already completed his jail term. Hamid, an IT engineer and MBA degree holder, had gone to Kabul on November 4, 2012 from where he reached Pakistan allegedly to meet a Pakistani girl he had been in touch with through e-mails.
http://nation.com.pk/national/05-Dec-2016/delhi-bars-sartaj-from-holding-news-conference
December 05, 2016
SHARE :
Agencies
AMRITSAR - The Indian government on Sunday did not allow Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to hold a scheduled press conference on the sidelines of Heart of Asia Conference, citing “security reasons”.
In sheer violation of diplomatic norms, the adviser was stopped to leave the hotel, neither media persons were allowed to enter the premises to meet him.
Also, the Indian authorities stopped Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit to enter the Media Centre set up at the Conference venue.
Pakistani officials said Sartaj Aziz was also not allowed to visit the Golden Temple and speak to Pakistani mediapersons at the hotel where he was staying.
Indian media quoting sources in the Pakistani High Commission said Aziz had planned to visit the Golden Temple but was not allowed citing security concerns. Aziz wanted to interact with Pakistani mediapersons who accompanied him at the Radisson Blue hotel, the venue of the Heart of Asia conference, but was not given permission by security personnel, the sources said.
Indian government sources said the permission was not given considering his security. “Security was very tight. Permission was not given due to security reasons. Security of our guests is paramount. India ensured no untoward incident took place,” they said.
There was a tiff between Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit and security personnel at the hotel after they denied Pakistani journalists entry to the venue. After security personnel denied permission for Aziz’s interaction with the Pakistani media at the conference venue, the Pakistani High Commission planned the interaction at another hotel but that too was not allowed, the Pakistani High Commission sources said. Later, Basit spoke to the Pakistani media. Aziz left for Pakistan by a special aircraft around 8 PM.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had visited the Golden Temple Saturday, while Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited it Sunday.
Apparently, the parents of Hamid Ansari, who is at present lodged in a jail in Pakistan, were waiting for a meeting with Aziz at the Golden Temple.
Mumbai-based Fauzia Ansari and her husband Nihal had come here, hoping to request Aziz to release their son from prison, who has already completed his jail term. Hamid, an IT engineer and MBA degree holder, had gone to Kabul on November 4, 2012 from where he reached Pakistan allegedly to meet a Pakistani girl he had been in touch with through e-mails.
http://nation.com.pk/national/05-Dec-2016/delhi-bars-sartaj-from-holding-news-conference
